| words | language that is spoken or written, he has a gift for words, she put her thoughts into words |
palaver
hot air
empty words
empty talk
rhetoric | loud and confused and empty talk, mere rhetoric |
actor's line
speech words | words making up the dialogue of a play, the actor forgot his speech |
string of words
word string
linguistic string | a linear sequence of words as spoken or written |
| lyric words language | the text of a popular song or musicalomedy number, his compositions always started with the lyrics, he wrote both words and music, the song uses colloquial language |
wording
diction
phrasing
phraseology
choice of words
verbiage | the manner in which something is expressed in words, use concise military verbiage- G.S.Patton |
| words | the words that are spoken, I listened to his words very closely |
wind malarkey
malarky
idle words
jazz nothingness | empty rhetoric or insincere or exaggerated talk, that's a lot of wind, don't give me any of that jazz |
sweet nothings
honeyed words | inconsequential expressions of affection, he whispered sweet nothings into her ear |
quarrel
wrangle row
words run-in
dustup | an angry dispute, they had a quarrel, they had words |
words per minute
wpm | the rate at which words are produced (as in speaking or typing) |
call on the carpet
take to task
rebuke
rag
trounce
reproof
lecture
reprimand jaw dress down
call down
scold
chide
berate
bawl out
remonstrate chew out
chew up
have words
lambaste
lambast
dcc | censure severely or angrily, The mother scolded the child for entering a stranger's car, The deputy ragged the Prime Minister, The customer dressed down the waiter for bringing cold soup |
| speak of the devil | mention someone's name who just then appears |
| speak up | speak louder, raise one's voice, The audience asked the lecturer to please speak up |
| speak in tongues | speak unintelligibly in or as if in religious ecstasy, The parishioners spoke in tongues |
talk
speak
utter
mouth
verbalize
verbalise | express in speech, She talks a lot of nonsense, This depressed patient does not verbalize |
| talk speak | exchange thoughts, talk with, We often talk business, Actions talk louder than words |
| speak talk | use language, the baby talks already, the prisoner won't speak, they speak a strange dialect |
| address speak | give a speech to, The chairman addressed the board of trustees |
opine
speak up
speak out
animadvert
sound off | express one's opinion openly and without fear or hesitation, John spoke up at the meeting |
| speak | make a characteristic or natural sound, The drums spoke |
| speak for | be a spokesperson for, He represents the Government's position |
as it were
so to speak | as if it were really so, she lives here, as it were |
as we say
so to speak | in a manner of speaking, the feeling is, as we say, quite dead |
in other words
put differently | otherwise stated, in other words, we are broke |